Registration for the 2012 Footballguys Players' Championship is now open. Drafts start in just 4 days (July 28th) and continue until September 5th. Over 1,000 teams have already been purchased to play in this event. Take a shot at greatness and the $150,000 1st prize. The top 100 overall spots pay a whopping $359,000. League prizes are $2,000. It's the high stakes contest with the medium stakes entry fee.

$350 gets you one team or buy three teams for $1,000. As always, the entire prize pool of the Footballguys Players' Championship is fully guaranteed and placed into a secured attorney escrow account where it will remain for the duration of the NFL season. All prizes will be sent to all prize winners by January 28, 2013.

Good Tuesday to you. It's another day with tons of new content plus we've got the news and notes you need so let's get to it.

J

SITE NEWS

A.
2nd Opinion Medical Review - Offseason Edition
One of my favorite features is our "2nd Opinion" where our resident Footballguys Medical Doctor, Dr. Jene Bramel, MD takes a look at injury situations. It's pretty rare to see an intersection of this kind of medical knowledge with the football expertise Jene brings. It's a must read column each week during the season and here he breaks down some of the injuries we're watching this summer. If you're thinking about buying the Footballguys Insider, I'd buy it just for Jene's column. Seriously.

B.
The Fantasy Football Guide To Twitter
I'll go ahead and say it. If you're at least consuming info on Twitter, you're behind when it comes to Fantasy Football. There's just that much good info there. But I know it's kind of daunting at first. Our Jene Bramel has what you need in this intro.

K.
Footballguys Face Off: Jay Cutler
Our Footballguys Face Offs are our Staff Guys doing what any Footballguys do when they get together: argue over players and issues. In this one, they face off over Jay Cutler.

L.
Footballguys Face Off: Doug Martin
Our Footballguys Face Offs are our Staff Guys doing what any Footballguys do when they get together: argue over players and issues. In this one, they face off over Doug Martin.

M.
Footballguys Face Off: Julio Jones
Our Footballguys Face Offs are our Staff Guys doing what any Footballguys do when they get together: argue over players and issues. In this one, they face off over Julio Jones.

Minnesota Vikings RB Toby Gerhart said he thinks RB Adrian Peterson (knee) will be ready to play in Week 1. 'I think (Adrian Peterson) will (play in the opener),' Gerhart said. 'You can never be surprised with Adrian. The way he comes to work every day, the way he pushes himself - he was flying around, straight-line speed, moving out there, racing Percy up the hill, doing conditioning stuff ... I haven't seen him in a couple weeks now, but I'm sure he's continued to make leaps and bounds in progress, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's ready. You can never count Adrian out.'

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Peterson is already back to sprinting but we expect the team to be cautious with him as he comes back from this injury. Several sources close to the team feel the Vikings will ease him back into the lineup during the regular season. This could mean an increased role for Gerhart during September.

Cleveland Browns RB Trent Richardson is considered a lock to carry a significant load as the feature back in head coach Pat Shurmur's West Coast offense.

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Nothing but great news for the Browns here. Richardson is essentially the next Adrian Peterson and a true workhorse back who can grind down a defense. We like his angry running style, speed, and ability as a receiver out of the backfield. Richardson is going off the board as a RB1 in the late first- or early second-round of most fantasy drafts.

The New York Jets have acquired OT Jeff Otah from the Carolina Panthers for an undisclosed conditional draft choice.

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This is a boom/bust trade for the Jets here. If Otah can stay healthy (and the Jets can motivate him) then he'll greatly help the ground game. When Otah plays up to his potential he's a suffocating road grader on the right side of the line. On the other hand, Otah has appeared in just four games over the past two seasons for the Panthers. Now that Otah has moved on guys like Bruce Campbell and Byron Bell will compete for Carolina's starting Right Tackle position.

The Carolina Panthers have acquired WR Louis Murphy from the Oakland Raiders. It is not known what the Raiders will receive in the trade.

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Murphy gives veteran depth to the Panthers thin WR corps. We can't imagine him getting much playing time if guys like Brandon LaFell and David Gettis stay healthy. Murphy has briefly flashed talent during his pro career but has been held back by injuries.

Buffalo Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick said he is excited to arrive for training camp, as there is a lot of optimism surrounding the team heading into the 2012 season. 'I think the optimism surrounding the team right now is really up there,' Fitzpatrick said. 'It's the highest it's been since I've been in Buffalo going into year four. We feel that as players. We feel the excitement and optimism, to be honest.'

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There's plenty of reason for Bills fans to be excited. They have arguably the best D-Line in the league, an improved secondary, and multiple weapon at the RB position. We feel Buffalo could make a run at the playoffs in 2012.

Miami Dolphins WR Chad Ochocinco was in a courthouse Monday, July 23, for a hearing finalizing a process that allowed him to legally change his name back to Johnson. He originally changed his name to Ochocinco in 2008.

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We'd like to see Chad Johnson get his focus back to football. He should stop tweeting so much and spend more time studying his playbook. Johnson is not the same player he used to be, but may be the Dolphins most productive WR in 2012.

Oakland Raiders QB Carson Palmer believes the team's offense has the firepower to score a lot of points this upcoming season. 'With Darren McFadden in the backfield, an offensive line that is hungry. They're gonna open up great holes for him,' Palmer said. 'And then a lot of speed on the outside. Really fast receivers with a lot of playaction stuff. I'm excited. Having a chance to play for Coach Knapp, I'm excited.'

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McFadden is one of the best RBs in the game today, but has yet to play a full 16 game season during his pro career. We like the receiving weapons the Raiders have compiled over the last two years. Guys like Denarius Moore and Juron Criner could help Palmer finish as a top 15 fantasy Quarterback.

Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco isn't concerned about the pace of contract discussions or whether a deal will be struck in a particular amount of time as he prepares to report to training camp. Flacco is confident he will remain in Baltimore for the long term. 'I'm not worried about it,' Flacco said. 'I told (agent) Joe (Linta) don't even call me. I'm not worried about it. Unless you have some kind of crazy news, then don't concern me with it. I'm going to go out there, I'm going to play, I'm going to practice. There really is no time table. If it happens, it happens. I see myself being here for many years, no matter what happens.'

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The Ravens are working feverishly to lock down Flacco but no deal is imminent. Flacco's agent feels his client should be paid like a top 5 QB, but the team is unlikely to give up that kind of money. If no deal is hammered out this year the Ravens could always use the Franchise Tag on Flacco next offseason.

Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick said he is standing behind comments he made regarding the team emerging into a dynasty. 'That's just me speaking out of confidence, and I think if you ask my teammates they'll tell you the same thing, that they feel the same way,' Vick said. 'As a quarterback that's just how I feel. You've got to speak it into existence. You gotta aim to shoot for the stars, and if you miss at least you'll be amongst them, and ... I think that's gotta be our mind-set. But it all starts on the practice field. It all starts right now, it all starts here and that's going out and putting in the hard work and the effort to get there.'

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Vick would be best served just to let his play do the talking. We usually don't consider teams a potential dynasty until they've won two Super Bowls. The Eagles have zero in the history of the franchise.

The only real competition at the running back position for the Cleveland Browns is to determine who will become the primary backup to RB Trent Richardson. The team likely will favor whoever proves to be the best receiving threat and pass protector, especially on third down. Contributions on special teams might be a deciding factor, too. Head coach Pat Shurmur said RBs Montario Hardesty and Brandon Jackson would both play this year, but it is uncertain who will have a more prominent role. RB Chris Ogbonnaya is also in the mix, and his ability on special teams will help his cause should one of the others falter or suffer injury.

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We like Hardesty's natural ability but he's been unable to stay healthy during most of his college and pro career. Jackson is looking to make a comeback and has good versatility because of his receiving ability.

Detroit Lions WR Ryan Broyles (knee) said he believes he will be able to something when training camp begins and does not expect to be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list.

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Broyles is making an extremely speedy recovery here. He's coming back from a knee injury he suffered last year in October playing for the Oklahoma Sooners. We like Broyles best as a slot WR because of his crisp route running and run after the catch ability. He'll compete with Nate Burleson and Titus Young for targets behind superstar Calvin Johnson.

Kansas City Chiefs TEs Tony Moeaki and Kevin Boss are expected to receive a lot of playing time this season. The team may use two-tight end sets often during the season.

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Getting Moeaki back is a huge boost for the Chiefs passing game. He's a quality move TE with the speed to attack the deep middle seam of the defense. However, Moeaki has an extensive injury history dating back to his days in college. If he can stay healthy this year he could perform like a top 12 fantasy TE.

The Chiefs could use both in the backfield at the same time. Both Hillis and Charles are good receivers with Hillis being the better short yardage runner and Charles being the best big play threat. We see this as a hothand approach for the Chiefs in 2012, which complicates things for fantasy owners.

Former NFL RB Travis Henry is hoping to make a comeback in the NFL. Henry will turn 34 in October.

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Henry has been in federal prison since 2009 on a drug trafficking conviction. We can't imagine any team interested in the troubled back. The only way he'll play in the NFL this season is by creating himself as a player in Madden 2013.

No surprise here. Berry was arrested twice in the last month, and the team wanted to move on. He was arrested for DUI on June 26th, then arrested again on Saturday night after waiving a loaded firearm at three people. Now that Berry is off the team guys like Alphonso Smith, Dwight Bentley, and Jacob Lacey will compete for the starting Right Cornerback position.

A great pick by the Cowboys here. Their secondary was weak last year, but they made huge upgrades when they added Brandon Carr in free agency and drafted Claiborne in the first-round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Claiborne has great speed and transitions out of his backpedal smoothly. He has the ability to be a shutdown CB in the league.

Dallas Cowboys CB Mike Jenkins (shoulder) will report with rookies and injured players to start training camp Wednesday, July 25, according to a source. Jenkins missed voluntary workouts because he was upset by a lack of progress regarding a new contract; however, he did report for mandatory workouts.

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Jenkins has yet to be cleared medically as he's still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. He'll play as the team's third CB this year behind rookie Morris Claiborne and free agent addition Brandon Carr.

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid said Sunday, July 22, that LB Mychal Kendricks will open training camp as the team's starting strong-side linebacker.

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Kendricks was the heart and soul of the Cal defense last year and he lined up as both Inside and Outside Linebacker. He's not the biggest prospect but is a high effort player who makes plays because of his non-stop motor.

Buffalo Bills LB Shawne Merriman (Achilles') is attempting to re-capture his status as a premier player in the NFL this season. He spent a good deal of time at the right end position in the team's nickel package during spring practices.

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Merriman has been slowed down in recent years by injuries and is certainly not the same player he used to be. We're not expecting him to recapture his former glory, but could be a quality rotational pass rusher for the Bills if he can stay healthy.